Industria Nacional de Cemento’s quality certification is renewed

Industria Nacional de Cemento

Paraguay’s state-run cement manufacturer Industria Nacional de Cemento (INC) has received renewed certification from the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología y Normalización (INTN). The certification is of the 5 ISO model, one of the most comprehensive forms of certification. It recognises the technical specifications of the product, the quality of the cement, as well as the production process itself.

INC’s sales volumes grew 28.6% y/y in 4Q13. At present the cement manufacturer sells around 40 000 bags of cement per day and it plans to increase this number to 60 000 this year.

Construction skills gap

According to local press, Paraguay is experiencing a shortage of workers with the technical skills required by the construction industry. Skills and training are falling behind the technological advances occurring in the construction sector, with too few workers possessing the knowledge to operate automated systems and new technologies.

This could pose a problem in light of upcoming infrastructure projects in the country. Earlier this year, the government announced that US$12 000 million will be invested in infrastructure over the next five years.

Paraguay’s Chamber of Construction (Capaco) reportedly hopes to form a strategic alliance with the European Union in order to improve training levels within the construction industry.

Angela Tutino, Lafarge North America, shares her passion for a training programme that suits the individual, the business and the environment in this article, abridged from the November 2013 issue of World Cement.